IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


V 


^.r 


:/. 


i/.x 


(/f. 

% 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


iiM  m 

m  IIIIIZ2 

IIM    '""^^ 

iiAg  mil  2.0 


1.4 


I— 

1.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14S80 

(716)  872-4503 


L<P 


l^r 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions 


Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


L'institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pellicul6e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


□    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

□    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pelliculdes 

r~7\    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
LLJ    Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 

□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtach^es 

□    Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

□    Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  indgale  de  {'impression 


n 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 


□    Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 


D 


D 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  tong  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  film^es. 


I — I    Only  edition  available/ 


D 


Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  filmdes  d  nouveau  de  faqon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


D 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires: 


7 


10X 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqui  ci-dessous. 

14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


V 

f 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


tails 
I  du 
odifier 
'  une 
mage 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  of  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

La  bibliothdque  des  Archives 
publiques  du  Canada 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6x6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim^e  sont  filmds  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmds  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaTtra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  -*-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  6  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  6  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


errata 
to 


pelure, 
in  d 


n 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

The  World's  Columbian  Water  Commerce  Congress 

Chicago,  1893 


THE  CHIGNECTO  SHIP  RAILWAY 


BY 


'^    H.  G.  C.  KETCH UM 

Joint  Engineer  of  the  Chignedo  Ship  Railway 
AMHERST,  NOVA   SCOTIA 


BOSTON 

D AMR ELL     &     UPHAM 

(Ilje  40Ib  Corner  "JBoohstore 

283   Washington   Street 


Mt^- 


Lfl'^ll'^'^ 


^:TVf  .?'>■  uJ^.i-^r- 


THE  CHIGNECTO  SHIP   RAILWAY. 


The  transportr.don  of  heavy  and  bulky  merchandise  over 
great  distances  at  a  cheap  cost  is  of  vital  importance  to 
consumers  ever)v/!iere,  and  this  is  best  done  by  the  water. 
Water  carriage  ht^s  the  advantage  over  railways  that  railways 
have  over  corrnuu  roads.  Ship  railway  transportation  com- 
bined with  water  carriage,  by  avoiding  transshipment  of 
freight,  by  short  cuts  over  isthmuses,  by  the  saving  of  dis- 
tance, and  by  avoiding  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  has  a  manifest 
advantage  over  common  railways.  The  introduction  of  ship 
railways  will  mark  a  revolution  in  means  of  transport.  A 
ship  railway  may  be  considered  the  evolution  of  the  ordinary 
railway.  It  is  the  outcome  of  the  necessity  of  carrying  heavy 
loads.'  A  ship  railway  is  simply  a  large-scale  railway,  de- 
signed for  the  most  economic  transport  of  freight  overland. 
The  vessel  may  be  considered  as  a  large  car,  where  the  dead 
weight  bears  a  small  proportion  to  the  paying  load.  As  the 
biggest  horses,  the  strongest  vehicles,  carry  with  the  greatest 
economy  on  ordinary  roads,  so,  with  low  speed,  powerful 
locomotives  and  the  most  capacious  cars  become  the  economic 
desiderata  of  transportation  on  railways.  The  rolling-stock 
of  railways  has  grown  to  gn^at  dimensions  of  late  years. 
Train  loads  have  nearly  doubled  in  weight  and  length  within 
the  past  fifteen  years,  requiring  engines  of  growing  power 
and  curs  of  growing  capacity,  involving  larger  rails,  better 
ballast,  and  stronger  fish-joints.  This  is  in  order  to  reduce 
the  cost  of  transportation  of  freight  and  increase  the  speed 
for  passenger  service.  The  struggle  with  all  railways  has 
been  to  reduce  the  dead  weight,  so  as  to  increase  the  pay- 


ing  load.  Ten-ton  cars  ^ere  in  vogue  up  to  1875.  Then, 
in  1882,  this  was  increased  to  twenty-tun  cars;  and  recently, 
a  standard  car  to  carry  thirty  tons  has  been  decided  on,  while 
the  car  itself  shall  not  exceed  twelve  tons. 

Fortunate  are  the  companies  that  are  already  supplied  with 
permanent  way  and  bridges  adequate  to  the  increasing  weight 
of  locomotives  and  ever-growing  trains.  The  experience  so 
tardily  and  expensively  gained  by  common  railways  teaches 
the  advantages  of  ship-railway  transportation. 

The  object  of  the  Chignecto  Ship  Railway  is  to  afford 
cheap,  rapid  and  safe  passage  for  vessels  between  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  Over  two-thirds  of 
the  sea-going  traffic  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  is  with  the  United 
States  and  the  country  south.  The  Atlantic  Ocean  border- 
ing on  Nova  Scotia,  with  its  iron-bound  coast,  its  fogs,  its 
shifting  currents,  its  reefs  and  shoals,  its  Sable  Island  (the 
graveyard  of  commercial  navies),  its  risks  and  outlying  dan- 
gers to  vessels,  operate  as  almost  a  prohibition  to  that  exten- 
sion of  commercial  intercourse  by  water  between  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  and  the  Eastern  States  which  is  the  great  want 
of  the  day.  Vessels  have  now  to  make  a  long  detour  around 
the  Atlantic  coast,  either  passing  through  the  Strait  of  Canso 
or  round  Cape  Breton.  The  loss  inflicted  on  commerge  for 
lack  of  the  short  means  of  transit  across  the  isthmus  is  simply 
incalculable.  The  object  of  the  ship  railway  is  therefore 
to  cut  the  barrier  of  the  Isthmus  of  Chignecto,  to  extend  the 
commerce  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence, 
and  to  extend  the  navigable  water  communication  of  the  Gulf 
and  River  St.  Lawrence  indefinitely  south.  The  ship  railway 
will  offer  a  considerable  saving  for  steamers  and  sailing-ves- 
sels, which  may  thus  be  summarized  : 

(i)  Steamers  passing  through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to 
St.  John,  N.  B.,  via  the  Straits  of  Canso,  will  save  500  miles, 
and  from  300  miles  and  upwards  to  Portland,  Boston,  etc.,  so 
that  in  many  cases  steamers  will  be  able  to  make  two  trips 
where  now  only  one  can  be  made.  Large  sailing  vessels, 
which  are  unable  to  pass  through  the  Straits  of  Canso  without 
waiting  for  favorable  winds,  and  which  have  in  consequence 


5 

to  pass  round  Cape  Breton,  would  save  700  miles.  Such  a 
saving  is  of  the  utmost  importance  in  the  case  of  vessels  with 
perishable  cargoes,  such  as  vegetables,  fresh  fish,  etc. 

(2)  There  will  be  a  saving  in  marine  insurance  premiums, 
the  present  rates  from  Boston  to  ports  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence being  about  double  those  to  the  Bay  of  Funtly,  owing 
to  the  increased  risk  of  navigation  round  Nova  Scotia  and 
Cape  Breton. 

(3)  Vessels  will  be  able  to  pass  by  the  railway  earlier  in 
the  spring  and  later  in  the  autumn  than  they  could  otherwise 
do  when  the  Straits  of  Canso  are  blocked  with  ice,  thus  ex- 
tending the  period  of  navigation  three  weeks  or  thereabouts. 

(4)  Vessels  which,  from  their  build,  are  not  suited  to  navi- 
gate the  ocean  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  will  be  able  to  pass  from 
the  north  to  the  south  side  of  the  isthmus,  so  that  vessels  built 
and  adapted  only  for  inland  waters  will  be  able  to  continue 
their  course  with  safety  from  the  St.  Lawrence  and  even  the 
western  lakes  to  St.  John,  N.  B.,  Portland  and  Boston,  or  vice 
versa,  thus  opening  a  new  channel  of  trade. 

The  existing  commerce  between  Canada  and  the  United 
States  would  in  this  way  be  greatly  stimulated  and  developed 
by  the  railway.  A  large  trade  may  be  anticipated  between 
the  western  lake  ports  and  those  of  the  New  England  States, 
when  a  vessel  loaded  with  grain  can  come  direct  from  Mon- 
treal and  the  lakes  to  Boston  without  breaking  bulk,  thus 
avoiding  transshipment  of  cargoes  and  carriage  by  rail,  as  at 
present. 

No  corresponding  district  of  country  in  America  possesses 
resources  that  are  at  once  so  diversified  and  so  extensive  as 
the  territories  bordering  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  The 
fisheries  will  be  for  all  time  a  source  of  food  supply  for  the 
nations,  and  of  boundless  wealth  to  the  Provinces.  P'or  a 
hundred  years  the  forests  of  Northern  New  Brunswick  have 
been  an  important  element  of  supply  in  the  British  lumber 
markets.  The  lumber  now  going  to  England  in  the  form  of 
deals  will  find  a  more  certain  market  in  the  United  States. 
Where  is  there  a  more  prolific  soil  than  the  rolling  lands  of 
Prince  Edward   Island,  or  along  the  south  shores  and  rivers 


of  the  gulf?  Added  to  these  resources  are  coal  mines  and 
quarries  yet  in  the  infancy  of  their  development.  The  terri- 
tory east  of  Quebec  does  a  foreign  business,  entering  and 
clearing,  amounting  to  7,000,000  tons  of  shipping.  With 
rapid,  cheap  and  safe  transit  across  the  Isthmus  of  Chignecto, 
with  freer  trade  between  the  United  States  and  Canada,  no 
one  will  venture  to  state  a  limit  to  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  a  territory  that  is  so  grand  in  its  resources.  If  the 
ports  along  the  liay  of  Fundy  can  to-day  afford  a  business 
with  the  United  States  and  the  country  south  of  2,000,000 
tons  inwjirds  and  outwards,  being  almost  two-thirds  of  their 
total  tonnage,  who  is  bold  enough  to  predict  that  the  more 
abundant  resources  of  the  St.  Lawrence  will  not  produce  a 
commerce  vastly  greater.-'  When  a  new  avenue  of  commerce 
is  opened  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  gulf,  those  pent-up 
energies  will  receive  a  great  impulse.  A  revolution  in  trade 
will  result,  for  the  possibilities  of  future  development  of 
wealth  and  of  prosperity  are  well-nigh  boundless.  By  the 
Chignecto  Ship  Railway,  propellers  and  vessels  of  1,000  tons 
burthen  now  navigating  the  lakes  will  be  able  to  come  even 
from  Chicago  to  the  gulf,  and  continue  their  course  in  quiet 
water  through  the  sheltered  Bay  of  Fundy  to  St.  John,  Port- 
land and  Boston. 

The  distance  saved  would  be  500  miles  between  St.  John 
and  the  great  cities  of  Canada  over  the  present  route  by 
Canso,  and  700  miles  via  Cape  Breton.  An  inland  lake  ves- 
sel loaded  with  grain  would  be  able  to  come  direct  from  Chi- 
cago to  Boston  without  breaking  bulk  ;  while  the  usual  vessel, 
on  account  of  its  build,  could  not  face  the  present  route  by 
the  ocean  coast  of  Nova  Scotia.  There  is  practically  an  un- 
limited market  in  the  Western  States  and  Canada  for  Bay  of 
Fundy  lime,  plaster,  coal  and  building-stone,  which  could  be 
exchanged  for  flour,  meal,  oil  and  manufactures  of  the  West. 
At  present,  building-stone  quarried  on  the  shores  of  the  Bay 
of  Fundy  is  carried  by  rail  from  Sackville,  N.  B.,  to  Toronto 
and  Buffalo.  These  products  would  find  a  more  profitable 
market  if  the  Bay  of  Fundy  were  in  ready  access  to  the  St. 
Lawrence  by  water.     Prince   Edward  Island  has  an  annual 


surplus  of  farm  products,  principally  potatoes.  These  require 
quick  transit  at  cheap  rates,  which  cannot  be  given  by  the 
long  route  by  Cape  Canso  or  by  rail.  A  ship  railway  would 
allow  steamers  to  place  the  island  products  in  the  markets  of 
New  England  three  weeks  earlier  in  the  spring,  and  later  in 
the  fall  of  the  year,  than  by  the  present  route  through  the 
Straits  of  Canso,  owing  to  ice  accumulating  there. 

The  trade  between  Canada  and  the  West  Indies  and 
South  America  now  amounts  to  510,000,000  per  annum. 
It  is  certain  that  this  trade  will  be  greatly  stimulated  on 
the  completion  of  this  ship  railway,  because  the  varied 
products  of  Canada  can  be  collected  and  shipped  to  these 
places  without  expensive  rail  carriage,  and  exchanged  for 
products  of  the  tropics. 

Preliminary  steps  have  been  taken  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  a  steamship  company  to  run  from  Montreal,  or 
some  farther  inland  port,  to  ports  in  the  West  Indies  in 
summer  and  from  St.  John  in  the  winter.  The  open  port 
of  St.  John  would  likely  become  the  depot  of  all  tropical 
products,  which  would  be  forwarded  as  return  cargoes  in 
exchange  for  the  manufactures  of  the  Western  Provinces 
and  States. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  tonnage  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  Bay  of  I'undy  inwards,  and  outwards  amounts 
to   11,000,000  tons.      C  O'^'^'T'-*'^'*     * '^    /^fv/"* 

The  revenues  are  estimated  on  a  basis  of  tolls  which 
will  induce  ship-owners  to  send  their  vessels  across  the 
isthmus.  Vessels  in  ballast  will  be  carried  at  almost  nom- 
inal rates,  and  the  toll  of  vessels  with  cargoes  will  be 
graduated  according  to  the  value  of  the  cargo  and  the  toll 
it  can  bear.     It  is  resolved  to  make  it  a  commercial  success. 

This  work  is  unique  among  the  public  works  of  Canada. 
The  Canadian  Government  has  granted  a  subsidy  of 
$170,600  a  year  for  twenty  years  after  the  completion  of  the 
work,  but  this  subsidy  is  repayable  to  the  government  as 
soon  as  there  is  any  excess  over  seven  per  cent,  dividend  on 
the  capital  of  the  company.  No  money  has  been  furnished 
directly  or  indirectly  by  the  treasury   of  Canada.     A  more 


8 


M 


/SU 


advantageous  plan  for  carrying  on  a  [)ublic  work  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  people  of  Canada  could  scarcely  be  devised. 
The  money  spent  has  been  wholly  found  in  England  by  a 
private  company  on  the  basis  of  the  government  guarantee 
and  Canadian  credit. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  refer  for  a  moment  to  the  question, 
"  Why  was  the  ship  railway  finally  adopted  in  place  of  a 
canal  ? " 

The  construction  of  the  proposed  canal  has  been  variously 
estimated  at  from  $5,500,000  to  $8,000,000,  every  dollar  of 
which  would  have  had  to  be  provided  by  the  tax-payers  of 
Canada ;  for  no  company  would  have  undertaken  it  as  a 
commercial  venture.  The  ship  railway  accommodates  paddle- 
wheel  steamers  such  as  navigate  the  Hay  of  Fundy  and  the 
gulf,  but  these  could  not  pass  through  the  canal  of  the  width 
proposed  by  the  government  engineers.  The  maintenance 
and  repairs  of  the  ship  railway  will  be  less  expensive  than  a 
canal.  The  construction  of  a  canal  would  be  attended  with 
unusual  difficulty,  r.ot  only  from  the  nature  of  the  work,  but 
from  the  great  difference  in  the  elevation  of  the  respective 
tides,  amounting  to  about  20  feet.  One  of  the  difficulties  to 
be  overcome  in  the  canal  was  the  great  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
Bay  of  Fundy  tide.  At  neap-tides  there  is  a  range  of  40 
feet,  and  at  spring-tides  there  is  a  range  of  48  feet.  At  the 
famous  Saxby  tide  in  T-868^the  range  was  53  feet.  The  sup- 
ply of  water  for  the  canal  would  have  to  come  from  the 
turbid  waters  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  For  these  reasons 
and  to  save  the  immense  cost,  the  contemplated  project  was 
finally  abandoned  by  the  Canadian  Government,  which  then 
adopted  the  scheme  of  the  ship  railway. 

The  line  of  the  ship  railway  is  17  miles  long,  in  a  straight 
line  from  Fort  Lawrence  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  Tidnish 
on  the  gulf  side,  and  is  practically  without  a  gradient. 
There  are  to  be  2  tracks,  with  rails  of  no  pounds  each  to 
the  yard,  i  line  of  which  is  now  laid  for  13  miles,  leaving 
only  4  miles  to  connect  the  2  docks.  The  Fort  Lawrence 
Dock  is  a  spacious  basin,  capable  of  containing  at  a  time  6 
ships  of  1,000  tons  each.     It  is  excavated  40  feet  deep,  is  500 


n  the  In- 
devised, 
ind  by  a 
uarantee 

:iucsti()n, 
ice   of  a 

/ariously 
dollar  of 
ayers  of 

it  as  a 
5  paddle- 
and  the 
\\e  width 
itenance 
e  than  a 
Jed  with 
'ork,  but 
spectivc 
ujties  to 
w  of  the 
le  of  40 

At  the 
'he  sup- 
om  the 
reasons 
ject  was 
ch  then 

straight 
Tidnish 
radient, 
each  to 
leaving 
iwrence 
L  time  6 
>,  is  500 


feet  long  and  300  feet  wide.  Walls  of  massive  masonry 
rise  on  either  side  of  the  gate,  to  retain  the  waters  of  the 
basin.  A  gate  30  feet  high  and  60  feet  wide  opens  at  high 
water  to  admit  shipping.  When  admitted,  the  vessel  is 
floated  over  a  gridiron  (which  forms  a  movable  part  of  the 
track),  which  with  the  cradle  upon  it  is  immersed  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  lifting  dock  to  receive  the  vessel  for  transporta- 
tion. There  is  no  danger  whatever  of  injury  to  vessels  from 
being  strained,  either  from  being  raised  up  vertically  from 
the  dock,  or  during  transportation,  or  depositing  again  in  the 
water  by  the  means  proposed  to  be  used  in  this  railway, 
which  will  be  a  great  improvement  on  other  lifting  docks 
and  marine  railways.  Keel  blocks  in  the  centre  of  the  cradle 
and  adjustable  bilge  blocks  afford  ample  support  to  the  sides 
and  bottom  of  the  vessel,  and  the  cradle  rests  on  springs 
affording  just  sufficient  elastici'ty  to  render  any  strain  impos- 
sible without  causing  oscillation.  The  cradle  is  about  230 
feet  long,  40  feet  wide  ;  it  is  carried  on  192  wheels,  and 
consists  of  3  sections. 

The  hydraulic  rams  and  presses  to  lift  vessels  to  the  level 
of  the  track  are  20  in  number,  10  on  each  side  of  the  track. 
The  length  of  their  stroke  is  40  feet.  Each  set  of  lifting 
apparatus  is  composed  of  2  cylinders,  the  inner  one,  perform- 
ing the  functions  of  a  piston  and  ram,  and  the  outer  one, 
which  is  called  the  press.  When  the  vessel  is  floated  over 
the  cradle  and  received  into  its  place,  the  whole  mass  (com- 
prising ship,  gridiron,  and  cradle)  is  raised  to  the  level  of 
the  main  track.  The  gridiron  is  then  locked  to  the  sides  of 
the  quay,  thus  forming  a  bridged  platform.  Hydraulic  ma- 
chinery will  then  be  applied  to  haul  the  cradle  and  vessel 
from  the  gridiron  to  the  track  of  the  railway.  A  couple  of 
locomotives  are  attached,  and  the  journey  across  the  isthmus 
can  then  be  proceeded  with.  To  sustain  such  great  weights, 
the  roadbed  is  of  the  most  solid  construction  and  the  foun- 
dation of  the  most  stable  character.  Arriving  at  Tidnish,  the 
vessel  is  placed  over  the  gridiron  in  the  lifting  dock  by 
hydraulic  capstans,  and  lowered  into  the  dock.  At  this 
place  the  dock  and  basin,  instead  of  being  excavated,  as  at 


1! 


lO 

Amherst,  are  built  out  into  the  bay.  The  water  is  shallow, 
and  the  moles,  or  breastwork,  are  run  out  nearly  half  a  mile 
to  deep  water.  Beyond  the  moles,  the  entrance  channel  is 
dredged  3,000  feet.  As  the  tide  rises  here  only  six  feet,  no 
gate  is  required.  The  bottom  of  the  basin  between  the 
moles  is  to  be  dredged  to  a  depth  of  20  feet  at  low  water, 
affording  ample  depth  and  secure  haven  for  all  classes  of 
vessels  using  the  railway.  The  moles  are  made  of  cribs 
filled  with  rock.  They  are  supplied  with  mooring  posts,  and 
are  decked  over  and  protected  from  the  sea  by  piles  and 
riprap-worl:.  Thus  at  both  termini,  large  and  safe  harbors 
and  good  entrances  are  provided  for  shipping. 

Like  all  novel  enterprises,  this  ship  railway  has  encoun- 
tered its  full  share  of  ^epticism  and  hostility,  and  run  the 
gauntlet  of  the  gibes  of  the  incredulous  and  the  criticism  of 
its  opponents ;  but  it  has  steadily  made  headway  among 
capitalists,  commercial  men,  and  engineers,  so  that  no  one 
to-day  doubts  that  the  scheme  is  feasible  and  practicable  as 
an  engineering  work,  and  the  doubters  are  those  who  now 
argue  that  it  will  not  be  commercially  a  success. 

When  one  considers  the  great  advantages  and  resources 
of  this  country  for  a  maritime  business,  which  is  to-day  in 
its  infancy,  and  looking  at  the  growth  and  progress  made 
during  the  last  generation  alone,  and  then  at  the  vast  possi- 
bilities of  the  future,  one  cannot  but  feel  that  the  ship  railway 
will  eventually  be  a  commercial  success  beyond  all  expecta- 
tion. The  present  tonnage  adjacent  to  it  is  over  11,000,000, 
arrivals  and  departures.  The  annual  increase  is  nearly  half 
a  million  ton.s  per  annum.  It  rose  froro  8,000,000  in  1884 
to  11,000,000  in  1890.  If  the  ship  railway  draws  but  10  per 
cent,  of  the  present  tonnage,  it  will  pay  a  dividend  on  the 
capital  of  the  company  sufificiently  large  as  not  to  necessitate 
calling  on  the  government  for  any  portion  of  the  subsidy 
agreed  to  be  given. 

The  reason  of  this  is,  that  the  working  expenses  will  be 
very  small,  much  smaller  than  by  ordinary  railways,  and  be- 
cause it  so  nearly  approaches  the  requirements  of  a  perfect 
railway.     The  standard  of  a  perfect  railway  is   to  be  straight 


II 


shallow, 
If  a  mile 
hannel  is 
:  feet,  no 
veen  the 
)w  water, 
lasses  of 

of  cribs 
osts,  and 
oiles  and 
:  harbors 

encoun- 
riin  the 
ticism  of 
r  among 
no  one 
i cable  as 
vho  now 

esources 
to-day  in 
ss  made 
LSt  possi- 
)  railway 
expecta- 
000,000, 
arly  half  ' 

in  1884 
t  10  per 
i  on  the 
:es.sitate 

subsidy 

will  be 
and  be- 
'.  perfect 
straight 


and  level,  to  have  a  solid,  smooth  road-bed,  and  first-class 
works  of  art.  The  promoters  have  striven  to  obtain  these 
conditions  for  the  ship  railway.  The  line  is  absolutely 
straight.  One-half  is  dead  level.  Where  gradients  have 
been  necessary,  they  have  nowhere  exceeded  i  in  500.  The 
rails,  made  of  toughened  steel,  are  the  heaviest  yet  rolled 
for  any  railway.  The  ballast  is  of  broken  stone.  The  road- 
bed is  well  drained.  Where  embankments  occur,  care  has 
been  taken  to  remove  all  elastic  material,  and  to  form  good 
foundations  of  rock  on  the  hard  substrata.  The  ship  railway 
is  located  and  constructed  especially  for  the  carrying  of 
steamers  of  2,000  tons  weight  and  14  feet  draft.  The  work- 
ing expenses  will  be  very  small.  The  work  is  substantially 
built.  It  will  need  but  little  repairs  and  maintenance.  The 
speed  will  be  from  5  to  10  miles  an  hour.  Fuel  is  cheap  in 
the  coal-producing  country  of  Nova  Scotia.  The  terminal 
expenses,  consisting  of  raising  and  depositing  vessels  will 
be  trifling.  There  is  no  freight  to  load  or  unload.  This 
work  is  done  automatically  in  the  docks.  The  expense  of 
transportation  consists  almost  entirely  of  the  cost  of  loco- 
motive power,  added  to  the  expense  of  working  the  hydraulic 
lifts,  the  expense  of  docking  vessels  (in  which  the  crews  of 
the  vessels  will  assist),  and  the  small  cost  of  maintenance 
and  administration.  Counting  the  cost  of  locomotive  power 
what  experience  has  shown  it  to  be,  on  the  average, — viz., 
17  per  cent,  on  English  railways,  —  it  may  be  fairly  esti- 
mated that  the  other  named  expenses  will  make  up  the 
balance  of  30  per  cent,  of  the  receipts.  The  Chignecto  ship 
railway  is  the  pioneer  ship  railway  of  the  world.  It  is  now 
three-fourths  complete.  It  will  be  finished  in  ^fjT^.  The 
construction  account  up  to  date  amounts  to  almost  fo'ur 
million  dollars.  It  will  cost  one  million  and  and  a  half  more 
to  complete.  The  contracts  to  finish  and  c(|uip  are  all  made. 
Work  will  be  resumed  us  soon  as  the  company  can  float  the 
remainder  of  its  prior  lien  bonds.  ^Z"  ity.£iuw--»fc,^iv,,  j^^  f,v,,,^^ 
The  safe  transit  of  a  ship  in  cargo  across  the  Isthmus  of 
Chignecto  will  be  the  signal  for  many  other  ship  railway 
schemes    to    begin    construction.      The     Tehuantepec,    the 


^ 


tf^<'^:^^ 


H' 


12 

Panama,  the  Cape  Cod,  the  Ontario  and  Michigan  isthmuses 
will  be  vanquished  by  this  means ;  and  various  obstructions 
can  be  overcome  and  short  cuts  made  in  different  parts  of 
the  world. 

The  money  so  ill-spent  on  the  Panama  Canal  would  have 
been  more  than  sufficient  to  complete  a  ship  railway  over 
that  isthmus.  Sooner  or  later  the  world  will  discover  that 
the  only  way  to  solve  that  problem  at  Panama,  by  which  the 
world's  water  commerce  will  be  so  materially  extended,  is 
by  means  of  a  ship  railway. 

Amherst,  Nova  Scotia, 


isthmuses 
bstructions 
It  parts  of 

?ould  have 
lilway  over 
cover  that 
which  the 
:tended,  is 


